• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Home Garden Joy
  • Home
  • How to Garden
    • Seed Starting
    • Plant Profiles
    • Tools & Equipment
    • Raised Bed Gardening
  • Vegetables
  • Fruit
  • Herbs
  • About
    • Books & Classes
      • Herbalism Classes
      • Books for Christian Herbalists
      • Privacy Policy

Herbal Profile: Growing Calendula

March 23, 2016 by Jeanne

Growing calendula is easy, and the flowers make both an attractive addition to the garden and a useful herbal remedy for many types of skin problems.

Growing Calendula

Calendula is one of those easy care flowers that makes gardening fun. Growing calendula used to be a given in most cottage gardens. It’s native to Europe, and old European kitchen gardens often featured growing calendula alongside other herbs and vegetables.

The flowers and leaves are edible, and are also used to make herbal tonics, salves and more for healing, especially skin healing. You can even use the flowers to make a yellow dye, similar to dyes made from saffron but of course a lot less expensive.

Conditions for Growing Calendula

  • Start calendula from seeds:  Calendula is best started from seeds. You can sow the seeds directly into the garden soil in late spring, after all danger of frost is past, or sow the seeds indoors four to six weeks before the last frost date. Seeds usually germinate in 6 to 10 days and will grow rapidly after germination.
  • Where to plant calendula: Choose a location in your garden for growing calendula where you don’t mind if the plants sprawl out a bit or self-sow. Calendula is notorious for taking over the garden, but it’s an easy plant to eliminate if you don’t want any more. Even though it is an annual plant, calendula self-seeds easily and freely. You can also collect the seeds easily to grow calendula next year.
  • Light requirements: Plant calendula in full sunlight. It can tolerate partial shade. In very warm climates, it may even benefit from late afternoon shade to shield it from the hardest days of summer. Calendula prefers cool weather, and performs best in the spring and fall.
  • Soil: Any type of soil will do for growing calendula, but it prefers well-drained soil and will die if kept too wet. Keep the young seedlings well-watered. Once it is established in the garden, it can tolerate some drought.
  • Calendula is great for containers, too! You can grow calendula in the ground or in pots, containers or window boxes.
  • Deer-resistant: Calendula is deer-resistant and attracts butterflies and beneficial insects to the garden.
  • Colors: Most calendula varieties are shades of orange or yellow. Pink, or orange infused with pink, is also available.

This year, I’m growing calendula throughout my garden. I love its beautiful flowers and the fact that it attracts pollinators to the garden. It’s also said to repel various bad bugs, which I plan to test in my garden, too. More importantly, I am using calendula flowers to make my own hand salve this year. I have found it to be a useful and beautiful herb.

Filed Under: Growing Flowers, Herb Gardens

Previous Post: « Where to Plant Fruit Trees
Next Post: Growing Fruit Trees in Containers »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. gigi

    March 30, 2016 at

    Calendulas are so pretty and cheerful! I haven’t tried growing them, but I like the idea that they might take over my garden just a bit! Bonus!

  2. Kim

    April 1, 2016 at

    Wonderful info! I think I want to grow Calendulas just for the healing properties!! Thank you for sharing! #HomeMattersParty

  3. Michelle James

    April 2, 2016 at

    Had no idea about the healing properties. I find this so interesting & love learning about your great gardening tips! #HomeMattersParty

  4. Crystal

    April 5, 2016 at

    Wow I had no idea they could be made into an oil for dry skin. I use oils for my face since it can get really dry. Now, I’m really interested in growing my own flower and making my own oil. How long do you think the oil lasts? #HomeMattersParty

Trackbacks

  1. Recipe for Herbal Hand Salve - Home and Garden Joy says:
    June 1, 2016 at

    […] clean, fresh herbs into a glass canning jar as tightly as you can. I used chickweed. I am growing calendula to make more salve. Calendula flowers are used to make herbal skin […]

  2. How to Make Calendula Hand Salve - Home Garden Joy says:
    March 29, 2018 at

    […] can grow calendula yourself or purchase dried calendula flowers from companies such as Mountain Rose Herbs online. […]

Primary Sidebar

Let’s Connect!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram

As Seen in Porch

 As Seen in Porch

We were featured in Porch.com and answered reader's questions about indoor plants.

Explore All Gardening Articles

Latest Articles

  • Volunteer Plants – Nature’s Unexpected Gifts
  • Free eBook on Herbal Safety
  • Watermelon in the Home Garden

Herbalism Classes & Supplies

Goods Shop by Herbal Academy – botanically inspired products

Disclosure

Home Garden Joy participates in two affiliate programs: Amazon and The Herbal Academy. Home Garden Joy earns a commission from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate. As an Herbal Academy Associate, HGJ also earns a commission when you sign up for classes or purchase herbs or supplies from The Herbal Academy. Herbal information and recipes on this site are provided for educational purposes only.

Footer

a closeup of watermelon

Watermelon in the Home Garden

Growing watermelon in the home garden is not for the faint of heart. I have plenty of room, and it still threatened to take over the garden. You will either need to leave a lot of room for the sprawling vines or look for varieties specifically marked for containers. Growing it on a trellis is…

Read More

a zucchini growing in a raised bed

Growing Zucchini in Raised Beds

Growing zucchini in raised beds ensures that this prolific vegetable has the best conditions to thrive. You can grow zucchini in pots or containers, but I prefer growing it in raised beds. This is a great vegetable to grow if you have a “black thumb” and kill plastic plants, because it’s hard to grow a…

Read More

a close up of onions

How to Grow Onions in Your Backyard

Wondering how to grow onions? I’ve grown onions here at Seven Oaks Farm in several ways: from “sets” or starter plants and from store-bought onions that sprouted in the bag! Onions don’t require much space, and you can grow a lot for the money you spend on starter plants. Let’s take a look at how…

Read More

butternut squash growing in a raised garden bed

How to Grow Butternut Squash Organically

Learning how to grow butternut squash organically ensures you know how to grow this tasty, nutritious vegetable in your home garden. I’ll share with you some basic information on growing butternut squash, followed by some organic gardening tips that have been helpful for me here at Seven Oaks Farm in dealing with the various pests…

Read More

  • Privacy Policy
  • About
  • Awards

Copyright © 2025 Home Garden Joy on the Foodie Pro Theme